Shaping of upper components



Novf 16, 1965 Filed Sept. 5, 1963 SHAPING OF UPPER COMPONENTS S. HAWKES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 16, 1965 s. HAwKr-:s 3,217,344

sHAPING oF UPPER COMPONENTS Filed Sept. 3, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 N0V 16 1965 s. HAwKEs 3,217,344

SHAPING 0F UPPER COMPONENTS Filed Sept. 3, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 16, 1965 s. HAwKEs SHAPING OF UPPER COMPONENTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 5, '1963 United States Patent O 3,217,344 SHAPING OF UPPER COMPONENTS Sidney Hawkes, Rushden, England, assigner to Fred Hawkes (N.V. Engineers) Limited, Rushden, England, a British company Filed Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 306,127 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Sept. 5, 1962, 33,958/ 62 Claims. (Cl.1264) This invention is concerned with the problem of threedimensional shaping of shoe upper components to conform them snugly to particular foot or last shapes. Typical of such components are outside and inside heel counters, Vamps and whole shoe backs.

To take the first-mentioned of these as an example which will conveniently illustrate the present invention, the Shoemaker is here faced with the need to provide the component, at the part corresponding to the rear extremity of the counter, with what may be called a spine or saddle, which follows an arcuate downwards curve. This spine is desirably flanked at the two sides of the heel by shallow quasi-spherically curved areas to conform with the contour of the human heel at these parts.

In the past the task of making a counter shape with the curved heel extremity from a single flat blank of leather or like upper material has in most cases been dealt with by gussetting the blank, i.e. cutting a tapered slit into the blank, bringing the lips of this slit together, andstitching'them. The shaping problem is also sometimes attacked by making the counter of two separate and specially-shaped halves which are stitched together. In either event the achievement of the ultimate shape is a laborious operation, demanding time and, above all, skill, and even then there is only a compromise with the perfectly fitting three-dimensional shape.

An object of the present invention is to achieve the shaping from a single blank in a quicker, more positive, foolproof fashion.

A further object is to produce a shape which is intrinsically more correct.

Although we shall continue to refer hereinafter to the shaping of outside counters it is to be appreciated that the methods and appliances we shall describe below are applicable to other components which need to be shaped in more than two dimensions.

This stated, the present invention starts from recognition of the fact that when a flat blank of leather or other upper material, which includes, of course, material used within an upper, is wrapped around or over a solid shape or last corresponding to that of the relevant parts of the shoe, it can generally conform with the exception of one or two raised areas of the solid shape or last. With this in mind the invention achieves the final shaping of the blank by clamping the latter over at least a deep margin around the edge of each part intended to become a raised area in the fin-al component, leaving this raised area unclamped, and applying a controlled bulging thrust to the unclamped area.

It has been found that by judicious choice of the force, period, and area of application of the thrust, the required raised area can thereby be stretched in closely-controlled fashion so that, when the thrust is relaxed, it will have taken on a permanent three-dimensional shaping.

In performance of this method the leather or like upper material can have been preconditioned by mulling or like treatment, and/or the actual stretching can be assisted by liquid-, heat, and/ or other ltreatment `during the stretching.

v Another object of this invention is apparatus for carrying into effect the method recited above, which broadly comprises means for clamping the blank over part only 3,217,344 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 of its surface, a tool which is movable in guided fashion relatively to the clamping means to apply a contact portion thereof against the unclamped area of the blank, and means controlling the thrust of said tool.

In a very convenient arrangement, the clamping means referred to comprises two spaced pairs of clamping plates, and the stretching tool is guided for relative movement between them to apply the stretching pressure to a clamped blank. These pairs of clamping plates will be relatively positioned as best to cater for the particular contour to be applied to a blank, but in a very simple and satisfactory version of this arrangement which is found to cater satisfactorily with many stretching problems, the clamping plates are arranged so that in clamping position they are, in effect, arranged in a pack with their various grip faces in parallel, or substantially parallel, planes, and the stretching tool is relatively movable in an intermediate parallel plane. The upper material is held in U-shape by the two sets of clamping plates, leaving the bend of the U free for application of stretching pressure by the tool.

It will be apparent that a pack of clamping plates, used as described above, may cater only for elementary stretchpatterns or contours in the blank, but to increase its potentialities in accordance with a further feature of the present invention parts of some at least of the gripping faces of the clamping plates can be recessed, i.e. relieved of a clamping function at these parts, to cater for differential stretching of parts of the affected area, or the clamping pack can be supplemented by lining matrixes which are recessed or apertured for a like purpose. By virtue of this expedient, areas of the blank will be differentially stretched as a result of even a single thrust of a simple tool; in particular, this will deal with the contouring of the areas of the blank flanking the spine of an outside counter-as discussed in the preamble of this specication.

The tool can, of course, take different forms but, again, in a simple version which has been found successful in connection with the clamping pack described above is a headed stem mounted in a guideway in the pack of the clamping plates, this head having a contoured leading edge forming the contact portion referred to above. This guideway referred to may be formed in one or both of the inner plates of the pack, and preferably these inner plates will be permanently connected together, in which case they can define the guideway between them. The sandwich which is formed in this case by the two inner clamping plates and the tool can be used with various forms of outer clamping assemblies, e.g. with a blocking machine, using the side cheeks of the latter to represent the outer clamping plates of the pack.

The means for operating the tool can also assume various forms, e.g. be of a mechanical or pneumatic type, and be arranged for poweror for manual or foot operation. In the case of a clamping pack of the kind described above, the tool-operating means can form part of the unit.

Apparatus constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the appaartus, showing the parts in the clamped condition.

FIGURE 2 is a cross section on the line II--II of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a plan View on the line III- III of FIG- URE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a side View, similar to that of FIGURE 1, but showing the parts in the non-clamping and loading condition, this view also being partly in vertical section.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective illustration of a shoe counter which the appliance is designed to shape.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawings is an appliance, as will be apparent from the foregoing, particularly intended for the shaping of shoe counters such as that designated 192 in FIGURE 5, and this it forms from a single flat blank by a stretching operation performed in a manner to bev hereinafter described and in conformity with the method of this invention. The appliance concerned can conveniently be mounted on a bench or similar support. It can be used in this way on its own, or a bank or group of such appliances could be incorporated in a singleA machine, in circumstances of which examples will be given later in this specification.

The appliance illustrated has a base 2 of inverted channel section which serves to mount a clamping pack, generally designated 3, and an air cylinder 4, which is operated to implement the stretching, is mounted by brackets 5 on the base 2.

The clamping pack 3 essentially incorporates two pairs of clamping plates 6, 7 and 8, 9. Of these, the lower outer plate 6 is permanently mounted, horizontally disposed, on blocks 10 and 11 upstanding from the base 2. The upper outer plate 8 is hinged by lugs 12 at its inner end to the upstanding walls 13 of side brackets mounted on the rear post 11. The two inner plates 7 and 9 of .the pack are permanently connected together with interposed spacing plates 14 to form a sandwich which is hinged at 1S at the two sides between the walls 13.

This sandwich also incorporates the stretching tool 16 of the assembly, this comprising a stem 17 which is a sliding fit in a guideway represented by the gap between plates 14, and which has a head 18, the leading edge 19 of which is transversely bowed in the horizontal plane and is rounded at its front face. This edge forms the working portion of the stretching tool. The head 18 is accommodated in a recess 20 at the leading part of the sandwich. It will be noted that the rear end of stem 17 of the stretching tool projects rearwards of the side brackets 13 and, when this tool is horizontal (see FIGURE 1) it lies in the path of the head 21 of a plunger connected to the piston in the air cylinder 4.

It will also be observed that the outer clamping plate 8 is provided at its upper side with a transverse block or rib 22 in which is mounted a shaft 23 carrying end rollers 24, and these are disposed for cooperation with the cooperating flanges 25 of webs 26 on operating arms 27 coupled by a transverse handle 28.

The webs 26 are pivoted to a transverse bar 29 housed in a gap in the post 10, this bar having a depending belt 30 screwed thereto and passing through a corresponding aperture in the base 2. At its lower end bolt 30 is equipped with a washer 31 forming a bea-ring for a powerful compression spring 32 which is applied at its other end against the underside of base 2.

In use, and with the handle 28 pulled back and the pack 3 opened up, a at counter blank 100 to be provided with raised areas at the rear and sides is folded into symmetrical U-shape and is loaded into the appliance by inserting it over the sandwich 7, 9, 14, 16 so that the major parts of the limbs of the U are accommodated respectively between the plates 6, 7 and 8, 9, as seen in FIG- URE 4.

The clamping pack is then closed by lowering the top plate 8 and swinging over the handle 28, so that the anges 25 run over the rollers 24 and, by virtue of the cam action, produce a progressive tightening-up of the clamping pack. The clamping pressure, in any event, is dependent on spring 32, inasmuch as the pressure application takes place from the top plate 8 through webs 26, bolt 30, and spr-ing 32 to bottom plate 6. This provides a limited resilient clamping effect which will cater for varying thicknesses of upper material and to avoid excessive and abrupt straining of the material adjacent the clamped margin when the stretching tool is applied (see below).

With the blank thus clamped, the air cylinder 4 is now Ioperated to advance piston head 21 against tool 16, so applying the tool head 18 against the bend in the counter and stretching it forwards in general conformity with the shape of edge 19 of tool head 18, i.e. so that the axis reaches about the position indicated at 101 in FIGURE l. Thus the counter is stretched with an arcuately curved bulge, as at 103 in FIGURE 5, corresponding to the spine or saddle described earlier in this specication.

Beyond this, to alow for the differential stretching of the quasi-spherical parts flanking the rear extremity of the heel as described above, it Will be noted that the inner plates 7 and 8 of the sandwich are recessed at 33 at their forward parts so that, in elect, the areas of the blank 100 placed over these recessed parts will bey left unclamped and there will be a stretching thereof which, by virtue lof the particular distance from the tool head 18, is less marked than in the case of the parts actually engaged by this head. The effect of this on the finished counter -is notionally indicated at 104 in FIGURE 5.

The tool will be left advanced in its blank-stretching status for a predetermined period chosen in accordance with such factors as the quality and thickness of the blank material, the extent and pre-treatment of this material and whether heat is used to accelerate the relaxation 'of the same. In this regard it is pointed out that, although not illustrated in the drawings, heating elements may be incorporated in, or associated with, the tool or any of the clamping plates. In fact, the tool stern 17 is shown channelled to the passage of conductors ifor heating elements.

Finally, it is to be noted that the brackets 13 serve to mount leaf springs 34, and that the upper plate 8 is provided at they two sides with contact pieces 35 which engage with these springs. By virtue of this arrangement, throwing of the handle 28 to release the clamping effect is followed immediately by a lifting of the upper plate 8 by the springs 34 so as to allow for access to the interior of the pack and removal of the shaped counter 1.

It will be appreciated that the particular appliance described may be modified in various ways within the scope of this invention.

Thus, as concerns the spring clamping effect, spring 32 could be replaced by smaller springs arranged between opposed faces of the pairs of clamping plates. Again, the appliance may be equipped so that it can .be -fullyopened automatically when a stretching operation is completed. To this end a rod transmission and push springs may be incorporated in the equipment and pedal-operated to lift the top plate 8 away -from the sandwich 7, 9 and the latter from the bottom plate 6 when the stretching operation is completed.

It will also be understood that a bank of appliances on the lines of that more particularly described above may be used together in a plant, for example in a bank of side by side appliances, these being operated in succesion so that the dwell which may be required to prevail to complete the stretching operation in one appliance may be utilised by an operator for the loading of one or more other appliances.

In a more sophisticated version of the invention, we provide a machine incorporating a plurality of appliances, again on the lines of those described above, arranged on a work table which is intermittently rotatable about a central vertical shaft. The appliances (which in this case do not include the operating air cylinders of the specific embodiment described in connection with the accompanying drawings) are mounted radially around this table with the projecting tails of the stems 17 at the inner side and cooperating with a stationary edge cam mounted on the aforesaid vertical shaft. This cam is shaped so that it will project the leading end of the tongue to an increased degree from each sandwich unit by progressive amounts, as the appliance concerned is rotated from the table from station to station. By this means there will be a progressive stretching of the leather or the like and this is found to ensure the most effective shaping of the material and to avoid sudden undue stresses on it which could perhaps weaken or even rupture it.

The intermittent rotation of the table is under the control of an operator who, located at one of the stations, will fold the work around the leading end of the sandwich (for example, as marked by datum lines on the latter) and then operate a switch to cause the clamping assembly of the appliance to close and to initiate the rotation of the table through one step and the consequent shaping of the upper material. At the end of this step, a further stretching appliance will be brought in front of the operator and this will then be opened for removal of a stretched counter and the substitution of a new one, and s0 on. It will be appreciated that the feeding in and discharge of the blanks can also be appropriately mechanised.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for shaping upper components for footwear, comprising a mounting frame, two inner clamping plates being arranged parallel to one another on said frame a xed distance apart and with a tool guideway between them, an outer clamping plate with smooth flat face closable into clamping engagement with the smooth at outer face of each of said inner plates to clamp one li-mb of a U-folded workpiece blank over substantially the entire area of the limb, a stretching tool with a shaping head movable between said inner clamping plates in a plane parallel to the clamping planes between the closed outer and inner plates, means to cause projection and complete retraction of said shaping head as a tongue respectively from and into said tool guideway.

2. Apparatus for shaping upper components for footwear, comprising a mounting frame, two pairs of clamping members on said frame, said clamping members being in the form of superimposed plates hinged at one end to said frame, means for closing the plates of each said pair to grip a portion of a component blank over substantially the entire area of said portion between smooth at faces, a stretching tool disposed between said pairs of plates and movable in a plane parallel to those of the closed plates, and means for moving said tool relatively to said clamping plates to project the same from, and completely retract it within said closed plates in the manner of a tongue.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the tool comprises a stem with a contoured working head.

4. Apparatus for shaping upper components for footwear, comprising a mounting frame, two pairs of clamping members on said frame, said clamping members being in the form of superimposed plates hinged at one end to said frame, means for closing the plates of each said pair to grip a portion of a component blank over a substantial area between at faces, areas of some at least of the gripping faces of said clamping plates being recessed to cater for differential stretching of parts of the blank, a stretched tool disposed between said pairs of plates and movable in a plane parallel to those of the closed plates, and means for moving said tool relatively to said clamping plates to project the same from, and retract it within said closed plates in the manner of a tongue.

5. The method of shaping upper components for footwear, including folding a blank of upper material into a U shape, gripping the limbs of the U between smooth llat clamping faces in parallel clamping planes, and thrusting a shaping tool against the bend of the U in a plane parallel to said clamping planes, the clamped areas of said limbs being substantially in excess of the area of the blank between said clamped areas.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,621,602 3/1927 Ricks 12-64 1,867,594 7/1932 Rowe 12--59.7 X 2,056,987 10/ 1936 Steiner 12-54.3 2,061,700 11/ 1936 Glines 12-54.3 2,117,732 5/1938 Korting 12f-54.2 2,170,823 8/1939 Lawson 12-54.3 2,948,002 8/ 1960 Hoffman 12-54.4

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR SHAPING UPPER COMPONENTS FOR FOOTWEAR, COMPRISING A MOUNTING FRAME, TWO INNER CLAMPING PLATES BEING ARRANGED PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER ON SAID FRAME A FIXED DISTANCE APART AND WITH A TOOL GUIDEWAY BETWEEN THEM, AN OUTER CLAMPING PLATE WITH SMOOTH FLAT FACE CLOSABLE INTO CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SMOOTH FLAT OUTER FACE OF EACH OF SAID INNER PLATES TO CLAMP ONE LIMB OF A U-FOLDED WORKPIECE BLANK OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE AREA OF THE LIMB, A STRETCHING TOOL WITH A SHAPING HEAD MOVABLE BETWEEN SAID INNER CLAMPING PLATES N A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE CLAMPING PLANES BETWEEN THE CLOSED OUTER AND INNER PLATES, MEANS TO CAUSE PROJECTION AND COMPLETE RETRACTION OF SAID SHAPING HEAD AS A TONGUE RESPECTIVELY FROM SAID INTO SAID TOOL GUIDEWAY. 